The revel queen mary is one of the bitter disappointments of the model kit world. The molds were done in the 50’s and have not changed since. The only thing that has changed is the manual in 1997. I was in two minds for months whether to buy this kit or not. I bought it a few years ago and was bitterly disappointed with the outcome. Recently I decided to bite the bullet and buy this kit again but with a view of correcting it and to show others how to correct this model with very simple techniques. I am determined to make this work.What I needed:a fine details craft knifea Stanley knifeacetate sheets.PaintSuper glue (crazy glue)PollyfillNo more nailsPlan detail from http://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions ... k1936.html

When I received the model, I was quite excited to tell you the truth because of what I envisioned would be the outcome.I printed the plans from the above link and worked out that the plans were 38.46% smaller than the revel kit which allowed me to work out the correct curvature of the wedding cake tear or the bridge decks.The first thing I did was to assemble the two halves of the hull for strength as I would be tearing it apart and needed the strength. I then put a base coat on the hull for the waterline and hull. I then cut out the inaccurate prop shafts molded into the hull. Be careful with this as the keel could be damaged by this. I used a Stanley knife for this which cut through easily. This left a substantial hole in the hull which required approximately three mils of filler. I filled the area with pollyfill which extended up to through the hull for integrity. I purposely overfilled out the sides so I could sand down for a flush fit against the plastic hull. I then let dry overnight and sanded the next day followed by a base coat of paint.also straightened the incorrectly angled wedding cake tear super structure at the stern where the windows meat the bulwark.

both fantastic resources I must say. I used acetate for throughout the model because it is a strong, flexible and easy to use. The wings were cut out of this using the plans and visual positioning was also referenced in the photographs. The shafts themselves were made from match sticks sanded down to scale and attached to the wings and then the hull. Final detailing will be finished once the upper works have advanced somewhat. The shafts received base coat and then props attached. I used the kit props because they were quite adequate after copious amounts of flash were removed. The rudder was also attached, again the one supplied was used. The supports for the main deck that holds the docking bridge were also cut away at this point due to the fact that they overlapped the window openings in the hull at the stern. I used a Stanley knife for this.

Next up I decided to work on the decks. I kept the provided forecastle, well deck ect... and cut off the existing main deck and reconstructed it from the plans. To calculate the correct size for the revel kit I increased the plan size by 38.46% and followed the curvature on the plans. I drew the enlargement on the plans and cut out using as templates against the acetate sheet. I cut out then fitted to the model. Base coats were put on all parts. The cargo hold had to be grinded down as it was in the wrong position and i created a new one using 3 rectangular pieces of acetate to achieve the correct height.

Constructing the promenade deck wall and bulwark was a bit of a challenge. I had to decide whether to cut the windows or draw then. I went with cutting. I did using the plans for the curvature and the actual height was easily achieved as it was on the model already which was 8mm. this was measured off the promenade deck on the superstructure itself. The windows were cut from tops to the bottom of the wall itself. The bases were defined by an additional piece stuck to the bottom which had the effect of doubling as plating. A nice effect I think. A slim piece of acetate was used behind to split the windows. Cowl vent which were used from donor part were added to the main deck as they were not supplied with the model. Decks at the stern provided were installed, base coated and will be scratch detailed later.

The boat deck provided by revell was hit and miss with its inaccurate housing molded into it so I decided to replace this. This was relatively simple as it involved outlining the existing boat deck and using two sheets of acetate for structural integrity. The curvature was reconstructed from the plans and drawn out once more at the bulwark and glued in place. Again and increase of 38.46%. the walls of the tennis court on the promenade deck were extended with acetate and base coated.I inserted a picture of the original revell parts to show the inaccuracies in this kit and why scratch build is really the order of the day.

Next up was the boat deck super structure. Revel really fell down here. The vents in the kit have no purpose and the seem to have thought the working areas for the life boats were extensions of the sports deck among many other mistakes. I decided a complete scratch build here. They also missed the break before funnel number 3 which contained an expansion joint which I never knew existed before I did my research. I worked strictly off the plans here as the height of the walls were too high and reconstructed the curvature. I decided to build the ship in maiden voyage build so the addition of the officers quarters would not be required at the stern. This step was just cut out. I will detail after main the bridge has been constructed and all decks have been put in place. Here are a couple of pictures showing before and after base coats.

The next stage was to create the walls for the deckhouses on the boat deck. The deck house worked out at 7mm high and the windows were cut with guides from the revell supplied parts. These were glued to the sports deck and dry fitted to the model to ensure accuracy. When the ship was built the area of the sports deck behind funnel number 3 was slightly raised and this amendment was started with walls remaining to be fitted. Assembled parts received base coat. Below the water line the shafts received their final positioning and fine detailing with no more nails sealing the line between the hull and the wings of holding the shafts. A final sanding was done before the top coat of the anti fouling paint was applied leaving a seamless finish. The only thing left to do is to fill in the holes in the mold where the stabilisers were due to be inserted. This is done because the period precedes the date the stabilisers were fitted to the ship. Adjustments will be made to the deck house window arrangement before gluing in place.

Thanks a mill, it's coming along nicely at the moment and it is actually surprisingly easy. this is my first scratch build of any sort so if i can do it any model builder can do it, i reckon anyway. I will post more next week when i have more done. I am going to do the bridge next, very excited about that.

Hi T34,Glad you like the collection, took a bit of time to assemble. Yes the qm is a disaster alright but most of them can be corrected. I know alot of people use evergreen plastic but i find the acetate alot better because it is maluble. I will be posting measurments and colors at the end of the post once the liner is complete. Two areas that are very difficult to correct are the exagerated plating and the anchor holes are too high in the hull. Frankly you can disguise the high anchor hole and i actually like the plating the way it is. One liner that i find hard to get is the airfix qe1, but i plan to remedy this next built by doing an qm to qe conversion. Best of luck with your build and dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions about measurements.James

Last night i decided to do a bit of prep for the next section of the build which was the boot line, bridge assembly and funnel bases.I painted the black hull with the top coat first of all. Then i assembled the rest of the walls for the boat deck housing after the expansion point. The lower section was 7mm and the uper section where the restaurant was location was 9 mm. I kept the original wall of the for the entrance to the restaurant as it will benefit later with a flush fit with the stairs and also the detail was quite reasonable. I cut the revell plastic guide piece off at the botton and everything above 9 mm at the top as i am doing a just completed build. As per usual i cut the windows using the revell pieces as a guide and top coated. One thing i forgot to mention previous that i also fitted actual chain for the anchor chains, again from donor stock. The molded anchor chains were just not up to the task at all so were sanded down.

Before starting last night i think i was a little too optimistic with what i was going to get done. The bridge and surrounding decks were incredibly difficult to complete. the plans printed off are 29.25% larger than the revell kit but had difficulty with the radius of the curve because it over lapped the deck of the sports deck. This resolved it was incredibly finicky cutting the ten bridge windows and assembling the walls. the bridge deck was simple enough apart from the curve, just outline the existing one. the bridge is 5 mm and the officers quarters were 5 mm. all parts again base coated. below pictures show before and after coats. it is riding a bit high because decks above the boat deck are dry fitted and correctly positioned yet.

Last night I decided to do a small bit and make a start on the funnels. These required a bit of alteration for the guide ropes. Each funnel required 20 holes for 20 ropes. I did this by cutting a sewing needle in half and using my craft knife to hold it. Normally I would insert into a drill but we were watching the telly so had to reduce noise. The reason why I use a needle instead of a small drill bit is because when a bit is used the plastic bubbles up more making it more difficult to clean the piece after. There is a tidier bubble with the needle and easier to clean up. I then glued and painted the parts in base coat. After putting on the model I could not help noticing that funnels 2 and three look too tall and don’t have the same graceful look as the original qm. There is a third black joint on the third funnel which never actually existed. I will check the heights against the plans before assembly and make the necessary adjustments if required. Below are a few picks below. The funnels do enhance the look of the model.

On looking at the suspected funnel issue in the previous post I have discovered that funnel 3 is the incorrect height. This was due to revell doing the cheap on the sports deck. They have put the funnel bases all the same height which is incorrect. The funnel base at number 3 was actually ventilation space and access point for the engine casing which meant it was taller for access. This means that the funnel needs to remain at its existing height on the sports deck and the base will be constructed around the base of the funnel erasing the bottom joint from view. The forward two funnels will be raised 2.5 mm above the sports deck.

I am at the stage where i am going to permanently glue the decks together but before i do i have to finish the superstructure detail. I am doing this now because after attaching the bridge it would be very difficult to paint the ships hull detail without damaging the wings of the bridge. So tonight i painted the boot top and painted the superstructure with top coat. Alot of modelers dont paint these parts because the plastic is white but i find it very transparent and not real enough in the finished product. I will finish the window detail tomorrow when the paint dries. Because i am hand painting the model, i used masking tape to define the boot top. I did not use the molded boot top as it was far too thick.

Last night I completed the window detail on the superstructure which was done with .4mm cd label pen. I noticed in other posts about build that revel qm did not have detail for the split windows on the promenade deck but there actually is. Theis was easily achievable with the cd pen. I really got the sense for the first time that this model was starting to achieve the sleek lines of the qm herself. It is getting to a really exciting stage when all the major structures are in place. Tonight I plan to have all structures in place as well as doing the final installation of the decks.

Good job on a really rough kit. I too am building this one. I've used the same reference material you have plus Ross Watton's Queen Mary book. I'm scratch building all the decks and structures due to the kit's inaccuracies.

Hi brooklin1,Sorry for the late response, have not looked at this one in a while as I am taking a break, quite intensive. I would like to see some of your pics for comparison you can.Best of luck with the build

Right folks, been a while since i posted on this one but that is how distracted i get. I reviewed the existing parts for the main super structure on the boat deck. the reason for this was because i visited the ship in long beach last october. the revell kit was not as bad as i thought and was able to modify existing pieces to resemble the actual. By the way, the actual ship is in terrible condition, i was very disappointed. Below pick show that i removed all the railings and inserted the expation joint. Then i added my plastic sheets to create the domed roof over the dining room. i was amazed how small the real dining room actually is considering the service it used to see. I recreated the skylight over the radio room which is incidently changed into some kind of silly glass museum. The cealing is very tall in this room. I also raised the area of dining room at the expantion joint.I added the missing steam pipes on the funnels. I wanted the 1936 rep of the ship so i just created a new deck for the cafe on the rear of the boat deck. I did research on the ship and found that the ship did have canvas covers on the lifeboats up until ww2. I kept the boats with kit and added accordingly. All was painted accordingly.The compass platform has been started at the top of the wheelhouse.